Russia claims it fired warning shots at British destroyer in Black Sea but UK denies it
- A military ship fired at the HMS Defender and a plane dropped four fragmentation bombs in its path, Russian defence ministry said
- ‘The destroyer had been warned that weapons would be used if it trespasses the border of the Russian Federation,’ the ministry said
Incidents involving Western aircraft or ships are not uncommon at Russia’s borders, especially during heightened tensions with Washington, Brussels and London, but rarely result in open fire.
The HMS Defender “was given a preliminary warning that weapons would be used if the state borders of the Russian Federation were violated. It did not react to the warning”, the Russian defence ministry said, as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
The defence ministry added that “a border patrol ship fired warning shots” and a Su-24 aircraft dropped four bombs along the destroyer’s path. It said that the ship then left Russian waters.
But the British defence ministry swiftly denied that the incident had happened at all.
“No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender. The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law,” the ministry said.